Who ever said stand-up comedy is just for men?
It's a tough industry, hoping for the laughs of others and having to brave it through a full set despite the possibility of an audience filled with careless hecklers. But, there are a few kindred spirits out there with the courage needed to try out their best jokes in the hopes of making it big.
The new Oxygen docu-series Funny Girls follows the professional and personal lives of six female comics in Los Angeles who are climbing their way to the top of the stand-up ladder in a male-dominated industry.
Meet Ester Steinberg, a 25-year-old witty Floridian, whose favorite comedian is none other than the legendary Joan Rivers.
She started out her stand-up journey in high school and hosts her very own show at the Kibitz Room at Canter's. The brunette comic listens to Cut Copy when she wants to chill, but when it's time for some uplifting, she opts for the indie rock band Florence and the Machine.
As far as dating goes, she says her unhealthy competitive spirit can sometimes get in the way.
Steinberg revealed that even though she likes to win, "you have to love yourself first!" Her No. 1 dating deal breaker is, "If he doesn't laugh at my jokes."
Stephanie Simbari comes from New York and the 29-year-old says her guilty social media site obsession is Instagram. We can relate, can we not?
She says the best career advice she's ever received is to do yoga while performing (even though she says she has yet to master that). As far as her best dating tip, besides pre-setting a fake alarm before just in case, she says, "Say yes to dates even if you're not sure because if it's terrible, you'll have a great story."
So, what's her biggest turn-off for a date?
"If a guy has really small hands," said the blond beauty. "I know that's so rude, but I want to feel like you can man handle me in the good times and protect me from danger in the bad." Her thoughts on this issue are proved true during a hilarious blind-date she attends during the pilot episode.
Now, Yamaneika Saunders is a boisterous personality who says her comedy style is "direct, real, and to the point." The Maryland native is very upfront about her single status and makes jokes about being the last one of her friends to be married. She says she loves listening to slow jams and pretending she has a man, as she is always on the hunt for Mr. Right!
Saunders says, "If you have more than two teeth in your head and can walking in a straight line 35% of the time, I'm all in! There isn't much that will turn me off."
LOL! But, what about her favorite dating spot in Los Angeles or New York?
"I love to go to gay clubs for my dates. I like to see how comfortable a man is in his own skin and it doesn't hurt to eliminate all the vaginal competition I'd get at a straight spot." Get it, girl!
Next up is a 35-year-old comic and daughter of two cops, Calise Hawkins. The Springfield native is the mother of a sweet 8-year-old daughter and she revealed she hopes to find stability with her stand-up career and goals. She dished that she has been greatly inspired by comedian Caroline Rhea.
Her No. 1 dating tip?
"Guys don't date girls who have had sex with their friends. So don't have sex with the guy you're dating until you've met ALL of his friends. Just in case there's a better one in the bunch."
As far as her deal breakers, Hawkins shared, "I don't mind being Googled, but don't make conversation with me about the stuff you learned from stalking me."
So who is the Detroit red-head whose jokes poke fun at the "unbridled and unabashed truth about life stuff?" That's Nicole Schreiber. She has an interesting list of achievements including being the winner of a high school contest for who could name all the bones in the human body the fastest.
Schreiber kept it humble when discussing her No. 1 dating tip, "I'm profoundly single so please take my advice with the most massive grain of salt you can find." The comic went on, "In fact, try to find a salt quarry if you can. With that said: DO NOT HAVE SEX ON THE FIRST DATE! Try to wait as long as you can. Not because they will respect you more (because who cares about respect) but because sexual tension is fun!"
So, what's her favorite setting for a usually awkward first date?
"My favorite first date spot anywhere would be the batting cages. After that we would hit some hole in the wall restaurant with a C-rating because nothing makes a date more memorable than a trip to the ER for food poisoning. This way he will never forget you."
Schreiber claims her humor is suited for PG-13 audiences mostly, but can reach NC-17 at times.
Last but certainly not least, Scout Durwood, completes the cast of Funny Girls. She's from Kansas City and her comedic style is said to be "Whimsical, upbeat, and often musical comedy." Her guilty social media site obsession is Maru the Cat on YouTube. Even though Durwood is making a name for herself in the stand-up industry, her grandfather also made a notable accomplishment for himself. Spoiler alert: He's the inventor of the in-arm-rest cup holder in movie theaters.
Best dating advice for singletons?
"If you can't figure out which one of you is the crazy one, it's probably you."
If you ever have the chance at taking this funny lady out in Los Angeles, she said to consider, "dinner at In-N-Out Burger, drinks at The Dresden and nightcap at Jumbo's Clown Room." Durwood revealed she has alternate likings for her New York suitors, "dinner and a show at Duane Park (where I used to sing!), then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge with a bottle of wine, possibly champagne. Mostly only douche bags live in Manhattan."
Oxygen Media's new humorous, irreverent docu-series Funny Girls will premiere Tuesday, April 7 at 9 pm.
E! Online collaborated with Andrea Platten and Caitlin Madill from the Los Angeles Women's Network@NBCUniversal to chat with the Funny Girls leading ladies. The Los Angeles Women's Network is an employee resource group at NBCUniversal.
(E! and Oxygen are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)